June 15th, 2012

First, thanks to Kate for last week’s blog and I must apologise. I got my fingers in a twist and called her Kate Musgrove instead of giving her correct name – Muscroft. Kate, I’m sorry!

This week I’ve been giving myself a literary treat, reading Salman Rushdie’s The Enchantress of Florence. It’s a long time since I read Midnight’s Children and I’d forgotten how wonderfully he writes. It’s been made even more special by the fact that much of the action takes place in Fatehpur Sikri in India – the short-lived capital created by Akbar, the greatest Mughal emperor. I was there last year, early in the morning before many other tourists arrived. It’s a haunting location, but not difficult to imagine the magnificence that Rushdie recreates.

See your historical novel in print

I’ve always had a soft spot for historical novels, and if you’re the same have a look at The Historical Novel Society’s website. They are currently running a competition with prize money of £5000 for a previously unpublished novel. The entry fee is $25 and your novel must be complete before you consider entering, but they only want to see the first 5000 words and a synopsis of the novel. Full details are available online and the closing date is 30th September.

Find your voice as a reviewer

If, like most writers, you read a lot then why not consider contributing to the Blog Critics website. They cover not only books, but music, film, TV, video, politics, culture, sport etc. and are interested in original reviews, news and commentary. There doesn’t appear to be any payment – but it does provide a bit of extra exposure if you’re already blogging and want to attract more traffic.

Before I finish this week there are two things I’d like to mention. The first is that Anne Lyken-Garner, former editor of our student magazine, Chapter and Verse, has just had her new book Sunday’s Child published by Pulse Publishing. It’s wonderfully evocative of a childhood growing up amidst the hardships of 1980s Guyana.

And don’t forget that there are only two weeks to go before the 2012 Writers Bureau Short Story Competition closes. The first prize is £500 and the winning four stories will all appear on our website for the next 12 months.

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